Xiaomi has launched the Mi 9 Pro 5G, an update to its popular Mi 9 flagship, with a faster chipset, bigger and faster charging battery, improved haptics and next-generation connectivity. The Mi 9 Pro may look a lot like the Mi 9 in more ways than one, but make no mistake, it’s a thorough rejig in even more ways – making it quite a steal. Especially, when one considers the price that Xiaomi will be selling this thing at. Xiaomi has launched the Mi 9 Pro in China at a starting price of CNY3,699 (roughly Rs 37,000) - this is for the 8GB/128GB model with 4G. Xiaomi is yet to announce pricing for the 5G-ready Mi 9 Pro.  

The Mi 9 Pro, as mentioned earlier, does not look very different from the Mi 9. Xiaomi is really touting the Mi 9 Pro’s Dreamy White colour that can look anywhere from pearl white, to pink, to blue depending on how light reflects off its surface. The phone will also be available in Titanium Black. There’s an all-familiar triple camera setup arranged vertically on the back (with a 48MP main camera) and no physical fingerprint reader – the Mi 9 Pro comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner like the Mi 9. The Mi logo meanwhile rests at the bottom – just like how it is in the Mi 9. 

On the front, the Mi 9 Pro comes with a waterdrop-style or dot notch as Xiaomi likes to call it. The size of the screen stays put at 6.39-inch and the panel stays put at 1080p+ OLED as well – although Xiaomi says it is using pro-grade calibration on the Mi 9 Pro so it shows more true to life colours.  

Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro specs and features 

The biggest changes are coming in hardware. The Mi 9 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 855+ processor (the Mi 9 came with SD855) paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. There’s also a bigger 4,000mAh battery (the Mi 9 came with a 3,300mAh) under the hood. 

The biggest USP of the Mi 9 Pro, however, is its 30W wireless Mi Charge Turbo tech, which is claimed to top up the phone in just 69 minutes, wirelessly – while a 50 per cent charge is said to take some 25 minutes. Xiaomi claims its 30W wireless Mi Charge Turbo tech uses a 5-layer nanocrystal receiver coil with a conversion efficiency of up to a 98 per cent. This should help keep things under check when it comes to temperature throttling. Xiaomi has also launched a 30W wireless Mi Charge Turbo tech compliant wireless charging pad, alongside the Mi 9 Pro 5G.  

The Mi 9 Pro also supports 45W fast wired charging (Xiaomi will be bundling a 45W fast charger in the box) and 10W reverse charging.  

Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro price and availability 

Xiaomi has launched the Mi 9 Pro in China at a starting price of CNY3,699 (roughly Rs 37,000) for the base variant with 8GB/128GB going all the way to CNY 4,299 (roughly Rs 43,000) for the top-end variant with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The Mi 9 Pro Pro will also be available in 8GB/256G and 12GB/256GB variants for CNY 3,799 (roughly Rs 38,000) and CNY 4,099 (roughly Rs 41,000) respectively. The 30W wireless charger will be sold separately for CNY 199 yuan (roughly Rs 2,000).  

The Mi 9 Pro (4G/5G) is exclusive to China for now – it isn’t clear if Xiaomi plans to bring it to more markets in the days to come.  

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